9:55 AM: She has been found.

Earlier:

Read More

EARLY WEDNESDAY MORNING: Seattle Police say Karen has been found.

Earlier:

Read More

West Seattle has a new centenarian today: Wes Jensen. The announcement is from his family:

Family & friends are celebrating the 100th birthday of Wes Jensen. Born in Montana on February 6, 1918, one of 7 children; his family moved to Medina when he was young. He played football for Bellevue HS and basketball for Garfield HS, where he graduated. Wes served in the Army in World War II; after the war, he met and married his wife Helen, and they raised 3 children in West Seattle.

He worked for and retired from ADT. Wes is a member of the Elks and loved to fish and golf- he played into his 80s and is extremely proud of his hole-in-one! After his wife Helen passed away, Wes moved to Ballard, then to Shoreline – he moved back to West Seattle 3 years ago and now resides at Homecomings.

Wes enjoys watching the Mariners and Seahawks and usually has a thing or two to say about current politics! Above all, Wes is a kind & loving family man, and his 3 children, 6 grandchildren, and 8 (#9 is due in April) great-grandchildren are blessed beyond measure to be able to celebrate his wonderful life.

Interested in helping launch a neighborhood dinner club in West Seattle? Lee Kellett is leading a kickoff meeting tomorrow and you’re invited. Don’t bring food – this is just about talking through the idea, and signing up if you’re interested after hearing about the proposed format. 4-5:30 pm Saturday (January 27th) in the Rotary Room next to the entrance of the West Seattle YMCA (3622 SW Snoqualmie; WSB sponsor). You’re also welcome to bring ideas for the club’s name as well as “a copy of a favorite recipe that we might include in a future menu” – optional, not mandatory.

Early this morning, hundreds of volunteers were out working to find out the annual answer to the question of how many people are homeless in King County. Here’s the news release:

This morning, between 2 and 6 a.m., nearly 1,000 volunteers spanned across King County for Count Us In 2018, the annual Point in Time Count of individuals experiencing homelessness, coordinated annually by All Home. The unsheltered street count was conducted as a full canvass of all 398 census tracts in King County. Count teams included guides with current or prior experience of homelessness, who were compensated for their time and expertise with their assigned count area.

“Homelessness is a local and national emergency,” said United States Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal. “Walking block by block through streets booming with construction but then under the freeway in areas peppered with tents was a stark reminder of the deep inequities of wealth and income in our city. We can and must do better. The fact that we see thousands of people living unsheltered, in the streets and in cars, is a moral and institutional failure. I will do everything I can at the federal level to build the affordable housing we need, provide the support systems necessary for people to live and fix a broken tax system that benefits only the few. Solving this crisis will require all of us —government, business, nonprofits and communities — to share responsibility for real solutions. Count Us In is a crucial part of those efforts – I want to thank the dedicated volunteers who canvassed every part of King County and I am grateful to be a part of and to represent a community that cares so deeply about the vulnerable.”

Continuing with the nationally recognized methodology introduced at last year’s Count, the full range of count activities includes a street count of people living unsheltered, a count of people living in shelter or transitional housing, a qualitative survey of people experiencing homelessness, and specialized approaches to counting subpopulations, including youth/young adults, families, and those living in vehicles. Local advocates, service providers and Applied Survey Research (ASR), a Bay-area research firm contracted to help conduct the Count, have all been active and valued partners in the planning and implementation of Count Us In 2018.

“The fact that nearly one thousand volunteers joined us for tonight’s count demonstrates that our community is coming together to confront the homelessness crisis,” said King County Executive Dow Constantine. “It is that shared purpose and commitment that inspires the work we are doing with partners to ensure that everyone in King County has a safe, warm place to sleep at night.”

While the Count’s core purpose is to collect data on the needs of people experiencing homelessness, it also provides an excellent opportunity to increase awareness and spark action. A successful and accurate Count is an essential component to informing local strategies to address homelessness and to making homelessness rare, brief and one-time.

“The Count is a great example of what can be accomplished when our neighbors, housed and unhoused, come together,” said Kira Zylstra, Acting Director of All Home. “Achieving our vision of ending racial disparities and making homelessness rare, brief and one-time will require the whole community engaging in solutions.”

A comprehensive report of Count Us In findings, including data on youth, vehicle residents, chronic homelessness and other specialized populations will be available in May of 2018. Point In Time counts are a requirement for communities that receive federal grants from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). Data collected from Point In Time counts across the nation are published on the HUD Exchange website and provided annually to Congress as part of the Annual Homeless Assessment Report (AHAR).

If you are still planning your Monday – we’ve learned of West Seattle involvement in the 36th annual official daylong Seattle celebration in honor of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day. The official overview:

Celebration starts at Garfield High School, 400 23rd Ave at E Jefferson, Seattle
Opportunity fair in the Commons 8:30-11:30 a.m.
Workshops in classrooms 9:30-10:50 a.m.
Morning rally in gymnasium 10:40-12:20
March 12:30 p.m.
Afternoon rally downtown, Westlake Park [~1:30 pm] shared meal back at Garfield High School, Commons

The afternoon rally at Westlake will be co-emceed/moderated by West Seattle High School freshman Noah A. Charleston (right), whose proud dad Lemuel Charleston e-mailed us to be sure that West Seattle Blog readers are aware. He says Noah is co-emceeing after being “voted in by the MLK Jr. Celebrations committee.” (Here’s the program.)

Noah has long been active in the community, he explains: “My family, my wife, and many of our friends and I have been involved with the Seattle community in the way of ministry, feeding the homeless, advocating for civil rights, and seeking to do our small part in making Seattle the best place in the world to live. We have involved our children in as many of these aspects as we can.”

The morning gathering at Garfield High School, meantime, includes 28 workshops, all free and open to the public. At least four include West Seattleites. There will be a session of Bystander Intervention Training, with Admiral UCC pastor Rev. Andrew Conley-Holcom and leaders from Anti-Hate Alaska Junction, Susan Oatis and Jane Westergaard-Nimocks. (They’ve done local workshops, as featured here on WSB.) Also, a workshop preparing for the launch of a new anti-racist coalition will include Chief Sealth International High School student Khaim Vassar-Fontenot and WSHS student Makhari Dysart. And there is local involvement in two other youth-led workshops – one on intersectionality, with Chief Sealth student Maya Garzelli presenting, and another about activism features Olivia Goss, a West Seattle resident who is a Garfield student.

More info about the MLK Day events is here.

Back in September, we published an invitation for entries in a student essay contest presented by the VFW. Among the local students who responded and participated, there are winners in subsequent rounds of judging, and two going on to state competition! VFW Post 2713 in The Triangle shares the news:

Congratulations to the 22 student winners of the Youth Essay contests from the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Post 2713 in West Seattle. The student winners came from Arbor Heights Elementary School, Holy Family School, Madison Middle School, and Our Lady of Guadalupe School. A total of $770 was given to the winners, according to Bill Dwyer, Post 2713 Senior Vice Commander and Chairman of the Youth Essay Scholarship program.

Five of the 22 student winners from VFW Post 2713 also went on to the District 2 competition. On January 6, the District 2 meeting was held at VFW Rainier Post. Here are the results of the competition:

–Liam Stampe won 2nd place for 4th grade from Our Lady of Guadalupe School.
–Malik Dawson won 1st place for 5th grade from Holy Family School. Malik now competes at State Level.
–Danika Ronda won 1st place for 6th grade from Madison Middle School. Danika now competes at State level.
–Roxanne Elder won 3rd place for 7th grade from Madison Middle School.
–Miles Dawson won 3rd place for 8th grade from Holy Family School.

Congratulations to the District 2 winners (there are 15 Districts in the state). The State winners will be awarded January 20.

From the WSB inbox, another case of someone seeking the person who helped them after a crash during our snowy Christmas. From Mercedes:

On December 25th, we were in an accident. It was around 10:00 pm and we were crossing the intersection between SW Morgan St and 41st. I would like to find the Good Samaritan that helped us. I remember a young man going to my side and checking on us. Please, if anyone saw or knows this angel, let me know, I would like to thank him personally. If anyone else who was there reads this, please feel free to contact me so we can thank you.

If you’re the person Mercedes is looking for – or if you know him – please e-mail us at editor@westseattleblog.com so we can connect you.

(Photos courtesy Guias Unidos. Above, Ometepe, seen from a ferry)

By Linda Ball
Reporting for West Seattle Blog

Near the southern border of Nicaragua lies Lake Nicaragua, the largest freshwater lake in Central America. Its size is formidable – the largest lake in Central America and 19th in the world. Within the lake is Ometepe [map], a peanut-shaped island that is home to around 40,000 people and a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve.

“It’s one of those untouched places,” said Kate Zylland. “Why do we have to pick apart everything?”

She and her husband, Jeff Zylland, veteran guides, founded a nonprofit on Ometepe, Guias Unidos. She is 4,200 miles northwest right now, in West Seattle, taking care of her ailing mom. He is on Ometepe, working to ink a rental deal on a building to serve as Guias Unidos’ headquarters and resource center.

Both have other relatives in the West Seattle/White Center area. But Ometepe holds their hearts. The Zyllands first visited in 2011. They fell in love with the island because it is a place that hasn’t been destroyed. Kate said there are petroglyphs on the slopes of Maderas volcano. Not much is known about them, but the island may have been inhabited as early as 2000 BC.

The couple has led an unconventional life. Read More

The photo and report are from Sheryl Guyon:

Husky Deli has been a pillar of the community for generations. So, it’s not surprising that they attract quality employees.

What is a coincidence is that four of the young men serving ice cream have all been awarded the President’s Volunteer Service Award for exceptional service to their community.

It is a nationally recognized honor which was started by President Obama. It recognizes citizens who give back to their community in a significant way, each dedicating their time for the betterment of others.

Each student logged 150 hours or more of service in the past year, including time spent serving the homeless, participating in All City Band, helping freshmen at West Seattle High School through Link Crew, volunteering to help at sporting events, promoting the Crop Walk for Hunger, and helping younger students succeed.

From left in the photo are West Seattle High School seniors Peter Guyon, Aidan Day, and Neil Gromlich, and Chief Sealth International High School junior Chase Gaither. Congratulations to all!